How to Water Seedlings Properly!

Growing plants from seeds? Increase your success rate by learning How to Water Seedlings properly!

Young plants have a tender root system, and it’s easy to uproot them or scatter the sown seeds. Beginners and new gardeners often do this by their improper watering techniques. If you’re one of them, learn how to water seedlings and seeds properly in this article.

Water Seedlings from Above

Watering seedlings from above mean that you water the seedlings from the top. Seeds that are not sprouted yet can get displaced even with slight disturbance, and watering this way is the main reason behind this. Also, one more problem with overhead watering or watering from the above method is that even after the utmost care, you’ll be successful in uprooting some of the seedlings.

So, to be on a safer side, use a mister or sprayer. Fill a spray bottle and spray the seedlings very gently. Although your workload might increase as you’ll have to water frequently. Because seedlings dry out faster when watered with a mister or sprayer. In dry regions, you can cover it or use the humidity dome to trap in the moisture so that the soil remains moist.

Water Seedlings from Below

You might have observed the capillary action in which when you dip the paper towel in water, the water rises defying the gravity. The same capillary action is what makes this watering from below method work.

You’ll need to pour water at the bottom of the tray and let your seed pots sit on it so that the water absorbs through the drainage holes. In this process, water reaches the top without disturbing the young plants. It’s a more effective way to water seedlings as it ensures evenly moist soil, which is the most basic requirement for propagating seeds.